New poll finds charity fundraisers are crossing the line

Dawn Renton

The majority of Scottish adults feel that some charities use unethical behaviour when fundraising according to a new survey.

The poll by ComRes, found that 82 per cent of Scottish adults feel that some charities cross the line when fundraising, and a 74 per cent say they feel bombarded by charity appeals.

The fundraising practices of some charities such as chugging, cold calling and aggressive behaviour have dominated the headlines over the last few months, leading the Government to commission a review into fundraising practices which proposed to end self-regulation in the sector.

New polling shows such practices may be affecting the way people perceive charities.

The results revealed:

· Only one in four Scottish adults (26%) say they are happy to stop and talk to charity fundraisers in the street.

· 82 per cent of Scottish people say that some professional charity fundraisers cross the line into unethical behaviour in their attempts to get donations.

· Four out of five Scottish adults (79%) say they ignore most charity fundraising letters and emails they receive.

Marco Barbosa, founder and CEO of eSolidar, thinks these findings are likely to make charities review how they go about fundraising.

He said: “It’s a shame that the poor practices of a small number of charities have had such a negative impact on the sector as a whole. Charities may be inadvertently wasting vast sums of money sending out mailings and alienating potential supporters as a result.

“eSolidar was set up to bridge this divide, and help charities rebuild their relationship with the public by making fundraising easy and mutually beneficial. People can sell products online whilst selecting a charity of their choice to receive a proportion of the proceeds. It’s a chance for people to make some money from their unwanted possessions and support great causes too.”